Introduction - General Description

The various STDs produce very different symptoms but are transmitted the same way: Except for the infestations, they are caused by viruses, bacteria, or other micro-organisms which thrive in the warm, moist inner surfaces of the body (particularly in the mucous membranes of the sex organs, mouth, and rectum). Outside of this favorable environment, they quickly die. For this simple reason, they cannot be picked up from toilet seats, doorknobs, or similar objects (although in some very rare cases some STDs have been picked up from used towels, underwear, and other clothing). On the other hand, sexual intercourse provides ideal conditions for all of these micro-organisms to be transmitted from one person to another. It is very well possible to become infected with several STDs at the same time. While most of them can be cured, one can catch them again and again. In the Western industrialized countries the most common STDs have long been chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Beginning in the 1980s, HIV-Infection (AIDS), a new, deadly disease, has quickly spread from the USA and Western Europe to the rest of the world and is now especially common in the poor countries of Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Adults with curable STDs in millions

The map shows various world regions and their estimated number of adults (in millions) with curable STDs - syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and chancroid. The total number world-wide is ca. 120 million.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO), 1999